


Feather in Hand, You Call My Name

by NerdyBirdy6602



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series), Fantasy High
Genre: Canon Autistic Character, Canon Bisexual Character, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Insecure Ayda Aguefort, Light Angst, Nightmares, Post-sophomore year, Sleepovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:21:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27457900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyBirdy6602/pseuds/NerdyBirdy6602
Summary: Ayda awoke in darkness, unable to move and with a rising fear in her chest, though she couldn’t figure why. She desperately glanced around the room, and found that she was back in the room filled with restrained celestials. She tried to shout for help, but found her mouth gagged with vines. Of course. No verbal or somatic components. No spell casting. The Nightmare King was rotten to the core, but he was clever. Ayda had to give him that.And then she heard the voice of her paramour, and all rational thought faded.
Relationships: Ayda Aguefort/Figueroth Faeth
Comments: 8
Kudos: 74





	Feather in Hand, You Call My Name

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! This isn't what I normally write, but these two beautiful gay women were taking up space rent-free in my mind, so I had to do something. Also, if you haven't watched D20... go do that. Brennan Lee Mulligan is brilliant.
> 
> P.S. Special thanks to m3rcut10 for encouraging me to post this!

Ayda awoke in darkness, unable to move and with a rising fear in her chest, though she couldn’t figure why. She desperately glanced around the room, and found that she was back in the room filled with restrained celestials. She tried to shout for help, but found her mouth gagged with vines. Of course. No verbal or somatic components. No spell casting. The Nightmare King was rotten to the core, but he was clever. Ayda had to give him that.

And then she heard the voice of her paramour, and all rational thought faded.

“Ayda Aguefort! Ayda Aguefort!” Fig shouted in the back of her mind.

_Figueroth needs me_ , Ayda thought frantically, straining against the bonds that held her back. _I promised to be there when she called. She’ll think I abandoned her. She’ll be upset._

With all the strength she had left and then some, she tried to pull her hand to her mouth to speak into her love’s earring. She knew that even if she could escape the bonds on her hand, she wouldn’t be able to speak into it. Still, fervently, she tried. Ayda heard vines crack and snap, only to reform around her. All her strength, and it still wasn’t enough.

Angry, miserable tears of flame rolled down her cheeks as she felt heat bloom where the feather once was on her wing. She continued to hear the call, and knew she couldn’t stop until she was free. The bonds snapped again and again, only to reform stronger. The other celestials, particularly the blue one with the puka shell necklace, watched her forlornly. They were all desperate to help, but they were bound just as she was.

Her body became exhausted quickly, but she didn’t hesitate to keep pushing. Her paramour was out there somewhere, fighting the Nightmare King or fighting to find her friends. She needed a powerful wizard to protect her. All would know her wrath and fury if a single hand was laid against Figueroth Faeth.

Sometime later, though she couldn’t tell when, she’d fallen unconscious. She only knew this because her hands and mouth were free to spellcast, and she was watching other incarnations of herself scold her. Reasonably, she knew this must be a dream, and yet every word felt like a crushing blow.

_Why couldn’t you interpret that? I thought you were smarter._

_They shouldn’t have to explain this to you._

_You’re supposed to be stronger than this._

_You couldn’t even protect your paramour, could you?_

_Well I knew you were useless, but this is a new low even for you._

_Try harder._

_Do better._

_Be better._

The flurry of insults halted for a moment, but it was replaced by her navigation through Leviathan as a child. She had tried so hard to raise herself, but she was only a child. She stumbled often, stepping on the wrong pirate’s toes more than once. So many times she’d missed a social cue or reference, only to ask and be rejected. Figueroth was the anomaly in the pattern; a light in the darkness. She was the only one to ever see her for who she was, not for what she could do. Figueroth stopped and explained things when she asked and indulged in her quirks. Her smiling paramour gleamed before her for a moment, only to be cruelly ripped away. She returned to a room of her past selves, feeling the heat of tears against her cheeks. When had she started crying, and how did she miss it?

“How could it be logical or reasonable that someone as incredible as Figueroth Faeth would find any quality of yours redeemable, or worthwhile,” her old selves asked her.

“The fact that I have not found such a quality in myself does not mean that someone as brilliant as Figueroth couldn’t find something in me worthwhile,” she answered.

The words sounded familiar on her tongue, but saying them now felt like a bitter lie. She hadn’t been there to help Figueroth when she needed her, and her heart sank. Ayda could never be what Figueroth needed of her, and she screamed against the thought.

And then she kept screaming as she awoke, truly awoke, on her perch in Compass Point, nearly fallen from her sleeping stance. Her mind had yet to process that she’d only experienced a nightmare from her time in the forest. Logical thought had long since left her, but she spied the doorway created to connect her to Mordred Manor. As fast as her wings could carry her, she flew to the door and jammed the key around her neck into the lock. The edges of the doorframe glowed with Arthur Aguefort’s magic and she charged through, staring at the room across from the landing. She knew Figueroth had since moved rooms so that the door was closest to the connecting point between Solace and Leviathan.

Bursting into Fig’s room, she scrambled to the bed, studying her paramour’s sleeping form intently. Figueroth was fine. Her breathing was soft and even, quite the opposite of her own ragged and labored breaths. There was a subtle smirk on her lips, one that Ayda could only deduce was from a good dream. Silently, selfishly, she hoped it was a dream that included her.

Her wings fluttered on instinct, trying to soothe her own anxieties without waking her beloved. Figueroth was so busy these days between songwriting, touring, and managing the bottomless pit of Hell. While Gorthalax did help with the latter, Ayda knew interrupting her sleep was a bad idea.

_She told you that you could talk to her any time at all_ , Ayda’s optimism reminded her. _She might like to know you’re unwell._

_Or you will worry her_ , her pessimism supplied. _Go home, Ayda Aguefort._

“Ayda?”

The phoenix’s gaze fell downward to meet gleaming red irises. Fig looked… Well, barely awake to start. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, but thankfully she didn’t appear annoyed for being woken up. The tiefling instead looked concerned, watching Ayda flutter her wings to the point where her talons barely touched the floor.

“Ayda? Babe,” Fig called again, and Ayda flinched. Figueroth had been expecting an answer, and she’d been too quiet for too long. What to say, what to say… “Oh babe, you’re shaking. Can I touch you? Is that alright?”

Ayda, not trusting her voice, gave a stiff nod in return. In an instant, she felt Figueroth’s arms wrapped around her torso, weighing her down so that she was fully on the ground. Her wings slowed, and then stopped after a few minutes of silence. Cautiously, she tucked them against her back. She could tell fiery tears were rolling down her cheeks once more… Or was it still? Had she ever stopped crying?

Figueroth slipped gently out of the hug, moving her hands to hold Ayda’s cheeks. With her calloused thumb, she wiped the small sparks of flame from her skin. On instinct, the poor girl leaned into the kind touch. Her paramour was warm to the touch, something she still wasn’t quite used to. Usually, with the exception of Garthy O’Brien, everyone felt like ice. Figueroth was comfortable to hold and touch.

“Can you tell me about what happened?”

Ayda met her eyes, feeling shame fill her chest as her wings fluttered once more. Softly, she stated, “I had to ensure my paramour’s safety.”

Figueroth smiled at that, a blush rising to her cheeks. Ayda didn’t have a spell slot available to cast Ayda’s Comprehend Subtext, but she had to assume that Figueroth felt flattered. Before she could ask, Figueroth answered, “I appreciate that, babe. Did something happen that made you think I wasn’t okay?”

“You called my name on my feather, and I didn’t come.”

Ayda winced, realizing what she blurted out. Now, obviously, she realized that all of what she’d experienced had been some sort of dream. Still, it was vivid and it felt real, even if it wasn’t actually. She hoped her paramour would understand what she meant because her mind was quite flustered and she knew she couldn’t convey her mind as succinctly as she did most often.

“Hey, it’s alright! Thank you for telling me,” Fig answered softly, gently squeezing her cheeks. The pressure felt nice. “I love when you speak your mind. I didn’t call your name tonight, but I think maybe you had a nightmare. Is that right?”

Ayda nodded, perhaps with a bit too much vigor. Still, she felt the need to convey her worries. “I told you that I would know when you summoned me, and I heard you. I heard every word, and I tried to come for you, and all my strength wasn’t enough to save you. A wizard’s paramour should be protected at all times by the wizard, and I failed you. Figueroth, I’m so sorry.”

Fig hummed, frowning at that. Suddenly, every thought of Ayda’s turned negative. Her internal monologue played out on her face as she thought, _You’ve upset her, Ayda. She’s going to leave. She’ll leave you and never return, and noonewilleverexplainthingstoyouever—_

“Ayda? Come back to me, babe,” Figueroth purred, hands gently rubbing small circles in her cheeks. “I’m not going anywhere. No one is angry with you, least of all me. Come sit on the bed with me, if that’s alright?”

Ayda nodded weakly, feeling the hands move from her cheeks to hold her hands. She allowed herself to be led, sitting down as Figueroth sat beside her. Then, once Ayda was comfortable, Figueroth stood back up and went to sit in her lap, facing Ayda’s chest. Before she actually did, she quietly asked, “Is this okay?”

“Please,” Ayda rasped, her face heating up with her declaration. “I… I mean, this is okay.”

Figueroth didn’t tease her, thank the gods above. Instead, she merely wrapped her arms around Ayda’s torso as she sat down. She smiled up at her, and Ayda’s own smile flickered back to life. It felt right, being able to hold her close like this. 

“Now,” Fig murmured, giving her a tight squeeze before relaxing. “You should know that you haven’t failed me, alright? You were… Ayda you were tortured. You had been fighting against those bonds for days, and all so you could get to me? I’ve never felt more _lucky_ in my entire life. I’m adored by the most powerful wizard I’ve ever met, and I love you, Ayda.”

“I love you too,” she answered immediately, feeling in her heart that much was a fact. The sky was blue, the grass was green, and she loved Figueroth Faeth. “I tried so hard to reach you. I needed you to be… whole. I would have torn the Nightmare King apart if he hurt you.”

Figueroth smiled at Ayda’s serious, grim expression. “I know you would have. My beautiful, strong succubus, I wouldn’t put it past you.”

Ayda blushed, the flame of her hair flaring up for a moment. It felt nice to be loved. Still, there was the ever present question at the back of her mind that her previous incarnations asked her in the forest. Her stomach churned, but she swallowed her question and rested her chin between Figueroth’s horns. With a frustrated expression that her paramour couldn’t see, she muttered, “I apologize for waking you, Figueroth. You looked like you were having a pleasant dream.”

“No worries, babe,” Fig soothed, rubbing small circles into her back. “All of my best dreams have you in it, anyway. Even my dreams can’t beat the real thing.”

Ayda pulls her head back so she could see Figueroth’s eyes. They held nothing but sincerity, and the phoenix smiled brightly. Softly, she stated, “You genuinely believe that.”

“I’d never lie to you.”

Ayda’s heart twisted uncomfortably in her chest. The question rose to the forefront of her mind once more, but for the first time in a long while she shoved it down and didn’t ask. Figueroth always answered her questions honestly and candidly, but this time she was afraid of what an honest answer meant. Absorbed in her thoughts, Ayda didn’t realize that Figueroth had noticed her internal conflict until she felt the tiefling shift in her lap.

“Ayda? Is there something you’d like to ask me? You have that look on your face,” Fig admitted with a voice so gentle and sweet that she felt like bursting into tears again. “It’s okay to ask me things, remember? Even if you think it’s a dumb question, which is never true, I promise I’ll answer it with no judgement. I can even keep it a secret, if that’s what you need from me. Whatever makes you comfortable, babe.”

The words finally come in a rush, her heart racing as she gazed into Figueroth’s eyes and blurted, “How could it be logical or reasonable that someone as incredible as you, Figueroth Faeth, would find any quality of mine redeemable, or worthwhile?”

Ayda heard the breath leave her paramour’s body. It wasn’t quite a sigh. Rather, it was an exhale frozen in shock. Figueroth’s eyes brimmed with tears, and oh no, Ayda’s making her cry. She blinked rapidly, trying to think of anything that would fix this. This was what she’d been afraid of, and why she kept the question in her nightmares.

“Oh Ayda,” Fig sighed, resting a hand on each shoulder. “Ayda Aguefort, it’s because I love you more than words could ever describe. Everywhere you go, everything you touch, you make brighter and better than before. I know you don’t see this in yourself, but I do. I’m not asking you to believe me now. I… I just need you to trust me. Can you do that, until you see it for yourself?”

“I trust you,” Ayda whispered breathily, the flame once again flaring atop her head. “With all my heart, Figueroth.”

Before Ayda could say another word, Figueroth leans up to close the distance between them. She could feel the warm breath on her face, and felt a smile quirk on her own lips. Ayda reached out and held Fig by the hips, ensuring that they remained in close proximity without being too forceful. There was room for the tiefling to leave if she wanted to, but something told her that wasn’t the case.

“Miss Ayda Aguefort, may I kiss you?”

Ayda’s eyes seemed to shine with eagerness, but still she answered, “You may, Miss Figueroth Faeth.”

Fig surged forward, lips almost instantly capturing Ayda’s. The phoenix wasn’t expecting the force behind the kiss, and so she ended up falling on her back with Fig straddling her hips. She most certainly didn’t let this fact stop her, and instead lost herself in her paramour. The fears and anxieties were, for now, cast off. Figueroth clearly didn’t think any less of her, and that could be enough for the time being.

When they parted, Fig was grinning down at her. The room suddenly felt much warmer, and Ayda couldn’t help the pleased hum she let out as she stared at her paramour. Her fingers traced nonsensical patterns along Fig’s arms as she revelled in her presence. As one who could call the seven seas, wind, and stars to her aid, she felt indeed that everything in the universe had aligned for this exact moment.

“Incredible as always,” Ayda complimented breathlessly. “Thank you, my paramour.”

“Thank you, babe,” She purred, pressing another kiss to her girlfriend’s forehead. “Now… It is still very late, Ayda.”

The phoenix glanced out the window and frowned at the starry sky. Indeed, it must have been very late. She imagined that implication meant that it was time for her to go back to the Compass Point where her sleeping quarters resided. However, Figueroth didn’t move to get off Ayda and there was a gleam in her eye that she couldn’t read. There was a cue she’s missing.

“My paramour, I do not understand. By reminding me of the time, I would assume you are implying that it’s time for me to leave,” Ayda stated plainly. “And yet, you have not moved from atop me and you are watching me rather… sentimentally? Sensually? I cannot tell.”

Figueroth beamed, kissing the tip of her nose. Softly, she answered, “Ayda, I’m asking you to stay. Sleepover, maybe? My bed is always a little too cold without you in it, and… I don’t want you to go. Please stay, if you want to.”

Ayda’s eyes widen. People asking her to stay was a new occurrence, but not an unpleasant one. The Bad Kids often invited her to tag along on their little adventures, to which she often came along. But Fig specifically asked her to stay and… Well, it sounded far sweeter off her lover’s lips.

“Your mother won’t be pleased,” Ayda reminded her weakly. “No girlfriends in the rooms after dark, I believe was the request.”

“Fuck my mom,” the tiefling purred back, already sliding off her girlfriend to nestle into bed. “And besides, nightmares should be an exception to the rule.”

Ayda nodded, moving in to sink under the covers. Still, the absence of pressure on her chest felt uncomfortable. She looked at Fig longingly, and then whispered, “Would it be possible, or comfortable, for you to sleep atop me, instead of at my side? I read in some of the books that Jawbone gave me that pressure tends to help relieve anxieties. I would hate to wake you with another nightmare, but you don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable. I understand that it’s probably not normal or—”

“Babe, it’s for you. You are normal, and it’s okay to ask for things, remember?” Fig replied, crawling to rest on Ayda’s stomach. She arranged herself so that her horns didn’t poke poor Ayda in the head. “There we are. You act like a space heater for wherever you are. It’s not the only reason I cuddle you, by the way, but you are comfy. Does this work for you?”

Ayda gave a small trilling noise at the pressure, kissing the tip of each of Figueroth’s horns before nodding her ascent. Carefully, protectively, she wrapped her arms around her paramour. She couldn’t begin to explain why the weight was so comforting, but she knew that this would probably be the best night’s sleep she’d gotten in a long while.

“Oh, and babe?”

“Yes, Figueroth?”

“Next time, don’t worry about waking me up.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! If you want to check me out on tumblr, you can find me here! As always, kudos, comments, and constructive criticism are always welcome. Have a lovely day!


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